[net.general] Help !! buying a VAX

lew@sri-unix (08/03/82)

I am proposing to buy a VAX 11/780 configuration on which to run UNIX,
approximately as follows: 

            11/780 with >= 3 Mb Intel memory boards (naturally)
            Floating point accelerator
            Systems Industries 3-density tape.
            Emulex sc780 disk controller
            2 each CDC 9766 256 Mb tape drives.
            Emulex 16 channel DH - type serial interface.
            Vt100's

Never having done anything like this before, will those of you that have,
please give me some advise, and comments, opinions, flames, on the hardware,
where to buy it, better/cheaper/faster hardware, known flaky vendors, etc. 

* The DEC salesman suggested that DEC could help support UNIX 
  on a contract basis, things like drivers, porting applications
  from the old machine, etc.  Anybody heard this before ?
  Anything been done ?

* Is it worthwhile to buy the system directly from DEC
  instead of a distributor ? Why or why not ?

* Is DEC field service anything to get excited about ? Our experience
  with them on 11/03's running RT11 was the pits. How about Vax ?

* Is CDC field service a good alternative ? Any other companies doing
  Vax support in Silicon valley ?

* Is a VMS license really required to run diagnostics, as DEC claims ?

* Is it reasonable to even try to get along without a source license 
  for UNIX ? 

* Is a 11/780 as sensitive to electrical noise (on power lines) as rumored ?
  Temperature ? Humidity ?

* Any good 1200 baud auto-dial modems ?

* Better terminals than Vt100 for under 1500 ea (in 1's and 2's) ?
 
* Does each system have a someone to baby-sit Unix ? Or, where does someone 
  learn how to do such things as recover crashes, make effective backups, etc ?
  If it is "read the manual" ... WHAT manual ?

				lew mullen
				intelqa!gsp86!lew
				2880 Northwestern SC3-752
				Santa Clara, Ca 95051
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